Public Service Announcement

It is possible to get an ingrown fingernail. At the top of the nail.

Why, yes, that is painful. It also was messing with my nerves and circulation, so that was pleasant.

I did not notice at first, because I had several painful cuts toward the top of my finger, as well as others on the sides of the same finger, so I was wearing a bandage a lot. Once I did notice, the fingernail tip had already pushed into ingrown territory overnight.

So there are various ways to lift the nail and redirect its growth, or to get into position to cut it or use an emery board on it.. They pretty much all start with soaking the finger and nail, either in warm soapy water or in saltwater. I did saltwater, to shrink the skin back while softening the cuticles and nails.

I basically spent a few hours soaking my hand while reading, and then fiddling with the nail, off and on. I was actually patient about it, and got the nail cut little by little. It was a great relief to get it done.

Generally this is something that happens with the middle or ring finger, since they have more curved fingernail beds. Do not let it happen to you.

Tax Day…

Yup, I just finished rendering unto Caesar the other day. Not optimum, but I did leave myself enough time to figure out anything I’d done wrong. Those forms stink.

After finishing, I rewarded myself by eating some really good Mexican food and drinking some Modelo. I needed it.

For those of you who are bacon lovers, there’s a Mexican dish called alambre which is made out of steak, bacon, and white cheese. Highly recommended.

(Alambre means wire, literally, but apparently here it refers to metal skewers.)

Since I was free of obligations today, I went shopping. My shoes are getting a little small in the toebox, and the soles of my feet have been complaining very loudly as well. So I have been asking around, getting recommendations for my foot comfort and survival.

So the bad news is that, if you want to get some really comfy shoes for standing around on concrete, after you’ve already made your feet mad at you (like I did), you are going to have to spend a big chunk of change.

OTOH, shoe technology has gotten to the point where that big chunk of change is justified. Holy cow. My new shoes are an instant cure for foot pain, as well as some kind of engineering masterpiece.

(If your feet aren’t totally beat up before you start wearing the shoes, you can pay about 100 dollars less and still make your feet happy. And then they probably won’t get beat up, so you can continue to buy midrange priced shoes.)

I went with a pair of Hokas Bondi 8, but there are a ton of brands now catering to this: Brooks, Oofos, AOn Running/On Cloud, Vionic, and so on.

The thing is, there are a ton of styles, and not just for looks’ sake. You have to look for what will fit your foot, and what will solve your problems. So doing your research at home is good.

Also, even if the store has availability listed on the Internet, it’s ten to one that the availability list is wrong by the time you get to the store. So research a lot of brands and shoe lines, because probably you will not get your first pick.

The thing I needed, apparently, was to have a slightly raised and padded heel in a walking shoe, so that I stopped hitting my heel so hard while walking. This makes the shoe look bizarre on the outside, but it’s very practical in its construction inside.

Anyway, that kinda eats up my funds, but it’s more of a health and survival investment than a cost thing.